From Agent 99 to the boy next door who grew up to be a Hollywood hunk, fashion favorites are coming clean about their childhood crushes.

It just wouldn't be Valentine's Day without a heart-wrenching tale of passionate, unrequited love. Okay, so a future fashion designer pining after John F. Kennedy, Jr. or The Cure's Robert Smith may not rank right up there with Romeo and Juliet, but anyone who's seen a Molly Ringwald film knows just how angsty and all-consuming it can be when Cupid's arrow makes its first direct hit. Here, ELLE.com talks to leading designers about the times they fell hard.

Amy Smilovic, Tibi: "My first love was a boy named Cameron in third grade, but sadly he was in love with someone else. I thought he was attracted to her bell-bottoms with studded palm trees so I had my dad, an artist, paint palm trees on my bell-bottoms. It didn't work. Turns out his love was deeper than just a pair of pants."

Melissa Coker, Wren: "In junior high, my room was covered with posters of Depeche Mode and The Cure. While my love was divided equally amongst the members of Depeche Mode, Robert Smith from The Cure held a special place in my heart. I'd spend weekends at the local library researching him. And Madonna. What can I say, my childhood taste was eclectic. Here's an especially awkward pic of myself in a Cure T-shirt at Disney World."

Vena Cava's Lisa Mayock: "My first was a girl-crush on She-Ra, Princess of Power, circa 1985, when the show first started. I couldn't wait until I was older so I could carry on her princess-warrior legacy while wearing that badass white bustier outfit and gold winged headband. Come to think of it, I'm still dying to do that. Turns out my taste at age four was a pretty accurate barometer for my future adult self."

Sophie Buhai, Vena Cava: "I grew up in L.A., and my first crush was on the boy who lived across the street from me. Our bedrooms were directly across from each other, and I used to spy on him through the window. One time our phone lines crossed, and I could hear the whole conversation he had with his girlfriend at the time. I think they were exchanging pager codes—I guess that dates this story. Later we grew up, and that boy became the actor Jake Gyllenhaal."

Ruthie Davis: "Growing up, I spent my summers at our home in Chilmark on Martha's Vineyard. When I was 19, stories of John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s charm and his incredible good looks were legend on the Vineyard. Just like every other girl on the island, I'd try my best not to swoon when we'd pass at the beach. One summer day (after hours of pretending to mind my own business), he walked up to me and asked me to join him windsurfing and water skiing. I almost fainted, but coolly accepted. It was a magical day, cut short only by dinner in the Davis house, which commenced promptly at 5 p.m. John drove me home, and I skipped upstairs as quickly as I could to shower and dress for dinner. When, 20 minutes later, the phone rang and my mother called up the stairs, "Ruthie...It's for you...It's John Kennedy," I had to pinch myself. I took the call and made it to the table by 5. John took me out that night to a local hang-out called Hot Tin Roof, and it was the quintessential, perfect late summer date. He was a total gentleman, sweet and charming. As childhood crush stories go, this one will always be close to my heart."